World War II was raging. Young men and women from all over America were serving on the European and Pacific Fronts. One young man received a letter telling him a couple from a neighboring farm had a new baby girl. Since they hadn’t had a child in almost ten years and they were beyond the usual childbearing years, he answered his Mother’s letter with a request for a photo of this little one. A snapshot was taken and mailed to him. When he received the photo of the curly headed blond baby, he promptly put the photo in the left…
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Allene started to stir. She smelled something wonderful coming from the kitchen. It had a familiar aroma. She had smelled this deliciousness before. Just about that time, her Papa, Pastor Myer, came into the room. He had the biggest smile on his face. She couldn’t remember her Papa smiling like that. Well, not since Mama had died. He scooped her up in his arms and started down the stairs to the kitchen. There was Aunt Annie with her apron on and her sleeves rolled up. She had white hair that was in a bun at the nap of her neck.…
Read MoreWhile Allene was fast asleep in her warm and cozy bed all covered up with a huge goose down comforter, Nyger and Patrice went out to the Myer’s barn to visit with the animals. The snow was falling softly and gently on the land, trees and houses of the little village of Brockum. The harvest was long past and the fields were all nicely plowed and ready for the spring planting. In the meantime, all of nature was resting. This was the first time that either Nyger or Patrice had seen snow. The snowflakes fell on Patrice’s nose and eyelashes.…
Read MoreNyger, The Stowaway It was a cold winters day when the ship docked at the harbor. Nyger, and his friend, Patrice, had stowed away In Pastor Myer’s suitcase. It had been a long journey and they were very hungry. They scurried about trying not to get stepped on by any of the passengers aboard the ship. You see, dear readers, Nyger is a farm rat from Texas and Patrice is a rescued circus rat. They live in a little white clapboard church on a hill in Texas. They have become good friends with…
Read MoreIt’s recorded in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 18, verses 15 & 16 that some parents brought their little ones to Jesus so He could lay His hands on them and bless them. The disciples told them to go away and not to bother Jesus. Jesus, however, became indigent with His disciples and told them to let the little children come to Him and never send them away! The Lenten Tree, described in Nyger’s Lenten Journey, is designed to involve the whole family in a time of devotion during the season of Lent. It’s visual, tactile and ongoing. Starting with…
Read MoreToday marks the sixty-eighth anniversary year since this birthday tornado hit our farm and the Dahnmann’s farm. The images are as vivid today as they were back then. The sights and the emotions will be with me as long as I journey here on earth. A celebration of deliverance from the fury of the storm was in order. Mama prepared a delicious meal of ham, friend sausage, vegetables, homemade bread and apple pie. We invited the Dahnmann family to join us. Great food and fellowship was shared with a very grateful heart.
Read MoreI held tightly to my mama’s hand. The closer we got to the Dahnmann’s house, the scarier it got. A huge centuries-old oak tree had been uprooted and had smashed into the front of their home. We could not see the extent of the damage until we were right beside the house. The tree had hit the front porch but had miraculously missed the rest of the house! Barns and other building did not fare so well. The ducks, geese and chickens were in a state of shock. They remained right where they had been when the storm had ripped…
Read MoreWe were thankful our home had been spared from serious damage from the tornado. The barn could be rebuilt, and the smokehouse, which housed our cured meats and canned fruits and vegetables, was untouched by the storm. In all the excitement, one very important building had been overlooked. Now that things had calmed down some, my mama realized the “outhouse” was missing! This was serious business! With our neighbors’ emergency, looking for the outhouse would have to wait. Next week I will share with you the whereabouts of the “outhouse” and a detailed account of the Dahnmann’s farm. P.S.…
Read MoreTornadoes do strange things. After the tornado had passed, Mama went to milk Ole Jersey. She gave me my instructions as I outlined in my last blog post. When she rounded the corner of the house, she was in for a real surprise: The cow, calf and corral were right where they had been, but the barn had been picked up and moved to a new location. It was quite a sight. The fence of the corral was in place but wasn’t connected to anything. The manger, along with the nests for the hens to lay their eggs, went with…
Read MoreMy mama was a no nonsense lady. We had just experienced a tornado but life had to go on. Our faithful cow, Jersey, was waiting to be milked and mama was going to do just that. But, before she did, I received my instructions. I was to stay IN the house and stay OUT of trouble. Debris from twisted and broken trees were strewn everywhere. Strange objects were deposited in our yard while items that had been on our porch or in our yard were gone. In the meantime, we had no word from daddy or my brother as to…
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